Narcissus and Daffodil

mg/g DW
mg/g DW
0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
0.00
1.20
1.00
0.80
0.60
0.40
0.20
0.00
N-formylnorgalanthamine
30 60 90 120 150 180
Sucrose (g/l)
Haemanthamine
30 60 90 120 150 180
Sucrose (g/l)
ts
cm
ts
cm
mg/g DW
mg/g DW
Production of galanthamine in vitro 233
Galanthamine
As in the case of the shoot-clumps derived from twin-scales, the maximum accumulation
of alkaloids took place at low concentrations of sucrose, and it decreased
progressively as the source of carbon increased, especially in the case of the galanthamine
type alkaloids. Nonetheless, the alkaloid profile is not exactly the same as
that observed in the bulb-derived shoot-clumps. In this case, the major alkaloids
were N-formylnorgalanthamine and galanthamine, reaching a maximum accumulation
in the treatment with 30 g/l of sucrose.
Comparing the effect of the sucrose on alkaloid production in the two kinds of
explants used in this experiment, it is observed that generally the shoot-clumps
derived from seeds produced a higher amount of alkaloids than those derived
from bulbs (Table 7.6). The highest content of galanthamine was 0.61 mg/g DW in
the seed-derived shoot-clumps treated with 3% of sucrose. Likewise, the release of
alkaloids to the culture medium was also higher in the seed-derived shoot-clumps
than in those derived from bulbs. Although the causes are unknown, there are
several factors that might be influential, for instance, the initial physiological state
of the inoculum.
The results obtained in the two strains show that the production of alkaloids
does not seem to be directly related to the growth of the explants, as the maximum
0.70
0.60
0.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.00
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
0.00
30 60 90 120 150 180
Sucrose (g/l)
Tazettine
30 60 90 120 150 180
Sucrose (g/l)
Figure 7.13 Alkaloid production in bulb-derived shoot-clumps grown under different
sucrose concentrations. Bars represent the SD calculated from three replicates.
ts, alkaloids detected in the tissue; cm, alkaloids released to the culture medium.
ts
cm
ts
cm